The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-05-05
WHITE FURNITURE CRAZE.


one Room That Cost olo,ooo - ne %
and Another That Cost Only oAS.
No sooner had We furnished our houses
In sombre colors with dark mahogany
and early English furniture Of black
oak, which appeared worm-eaten, II It
really was not, when, 10 the dealers in.
augurate perfect craze In white furni-
ture, light-colored upholstered goods,
and from the dignifed and aristocratic
English or colonial styles we become
imbued with the period Of Louis Quinze.
However, the dark rich furniture is too
beautiful to give up without q struggle,
and fashion now dictates that those who
can afford It shall have each room in
their residence furnished to represent
not only distinct period, but certain
country as we'll. Thus we have English
rooms, French rooms, colonial, Egyptian
and Japanese apartments, according to
the purse or fancy.
The first white room" built In New
York of any prominence Is the music
room in the Willard mansion, now owned
and occupied by Mr.. Whitelaw Reid.
The floor is highly polished in light
colored woods, and the entire apartment
is of ivory white, picked out with gold,
and in the panels Of the wall medallions
of lutes, ribbons and scrolls Of music.
A handsome "white room" has the floor
of polished wood, with here and there Q
white Astrakhan rug the furniture is of
white picked but with gold, upholstered
in white satin brocade; the curtains and
other draperies are of white plush en-
broidered with gold; the picture frames
are white and gold, white easel stands
in one corner and white and gold piano.
1t makes most beautiful apartment.
Not long ago the writer described this
room to clever young wife who lives in
little money, but excellent taste recently
she invited me to see her "white ROOM"
which she surprised me by stating was
all the result of her own Ingenuity and
cost but little. The wood floor has been
stained and polished to look like cherry,
and several white fox rugs, which cost
about % 80, were laid here and there.
She had bought several of the tripod
legged tables with pine tops. The legs
she painted with white gilt lines, using
the liquid gliding. The tops were COW
cred with white felt, with yellow satin
bows at the corners and gold fringe. She
also made mantel scarf of white plush,
trimmed with yellow bows. An old.
fashioned high-back kitchen chair she
painted white and made for 1t a yellow
plush cushion.
One of the ordinary Shaker rocking
chairs was also painted white and gold,
and over the red and black braided seat
she had tackled white felt, with some yell
low flowers embroidered upon 1t, while
the back was decorated with a yellow
Chinese silk scarf. Plants grew in COM
mon fower-pots, painted white, while
over the mantel was an old-fashioned
oval mirror, such as were used fifteen
years ago. Between windows she had
hung the mirror lengthwise and painted
its common black walnut frame white,
looping like white silk scarf, with gold
fringes around 1t. A milking stool, also
painted white, with bunch of yellow
flowers painted upon the seat, stood in q
corner; at the windows were white Chins
silk curtains, tied back with yellow bows.
These curtains, being of the same mate
rial as silk handkerchiefs, of course
wash as well.
Old disused walnut picture frames
were also painted and gilded to match
the other articles. And q beautiful wall
DrdckcI Was mHuo OF square OF pine
board, to which were nailed three little
shelves put on irregularly like three steps.
This also was painted white, gilded on
the edge Of the shelves and hung up by
screw eyes, which were concealed by
yellow bows-a pretty yellow. A Leeds
vase was one of the ornaments, a white
candlestick which held yellow twisted
candle, choice bit of Royal Worcester
which were among the possessions, and
of course, other ornaments about the
apartment. A bird sang in brass cage
harmonizing with the decorations. The
effect was like fairyland, and in spite ot
this fact the pretty owner of all informed
me that this charming result was reached
at a cost not exceeding $25. 1t would
be difficult to say which was the more
beautiful, the "white room" with its
gorgeousness and white piano, which
apartment cost in the neighborhood OF
$4,000, or that of the pretty young
housewife who, with little money but
much taste and industry, created an
apartment unique, beautiful, and better
than all showing her own individuality
-NeW York Mad.
US-V